"Is it a dream? Or perhaps an illusion?
The giant who had attacked Fanelia
Has now attacked Allen and his fortress
One more time, the wind told me the true,
Van has taken Escaflowne and attracted the enemy
So the crusade could fly away,
But something came out of my mind…"
Dilandau was laughing by following the dragon Escaflowne.
"Fly, fly! But you'll never escape me so easily."
His eyebrows were shivering of pleasure. Dilandau shoot the dragon, but Van escape from this.
"Little little thing. I'm going to have you."
He shoot a second time and touched Escaflowne. The dragon regain stability by touching a pick of rock but loose the wind that was supporting him.
"Damned, please be ready Millennia!"
"Don't be afraid for me, think of yourself." Answered the hollow voice.
Van landed Escaflowne, transforming it to the battle-knight mode. Millennia has jumped before the landing and was standing on his side, her eyes closed, waiting for the enemy.
"Millennia! Go and hide you!"
"Who do you think you're talking? I'm born with a sword in my hand human. Don't underestimate me because I'm in a girl's body."
"Please, forgive me Millennia." Whispered Van. He pushed her in the back with Escaflowne's finger. She landed on the ground, loosing consciousness. No more light was coming out of her forehead. He took her carefully in the left hand of the 'melef, in the right hand his sword and waited for the enemy to rejoin them. Unfortunately, he cannot see them camouflaged with invisible cloak, only the foot prints of their robots suits.
The Zaïbach attacked. Dilandau's 'melef repeatedly stroke Escaflowne, while Van, unable to see anything, could not retaliate effectively.
"Do you want to kill him, Dilandau?" yelled Folken through the communication.
"You never have fun Folken. I'm just playing with him."
"Dornick want him alive."
"Na ya Folken!"
Dilandau gave a last punch into Escaflowne's face. It began to smoke and felt to his knees. Van had loose consciousness.
Escaflowne was brought to the Zaïbach base. Dilandau and Folken approached the guymelef.
"I don't understand Folken why haven't we forced the opening?"
"Because only the blood of the heir of Fanelia can open it Dilandau."
Folken put his hand into the control jewel on Escaflowne's breast. It glow. Escaflowne opened the pilot's site. A dazed Van felt out at the feet of Folken and Dilandau. Dilandau recollected his previous meeting with Van at Allen's castle.
"Nani?!? Is this young fool the true king of Fanelia?" Escaflowne hand moved and opened, letting Millennia appear.
"What is the girl doing here?"
"I don't know", answered Folken, "but if she's here. She must be someone important. Take them to my apartment, but separate them."
Millennia opened her eyes slowly. She didn't remember anything after she gave Merle the pendant. But with how her head was turning, she could tell that she used a lot of magic. She looked around her and saw a man, which was Dilandau.
"So, you finally awake. I think you remember me, we met a few hours ago in the fortress."
"I do remember. You are Dilandau."
"You're right. And who are you? Why does the dragon travel with you? Are you an important person?"
"It doesn't matter, am I a prisoner?"
"It depends of your answer. So?"
"Have you kill Van?"
"Hum, And what if I did so?"
"No reason in particular. He is the only one I knew on this damned world. I just let you know that it doesn't matter if you kill me!"
"I don't for the moment, maybe next time. We need some information you must have. Our emperor is looking for Escaflowne and his master, and we have caught you three. We don't know what to do with you because we don't know you. So who are you little girl?"
Dilandau took his sword and pointed it on Millennia's throat. He drawn a line of blood.
"So, Are you satisfied?" asked Millennia without a move to step back.
"Why aren't you afraid of me?" said Dilandau angrily.
"Because I'm not afraid of death. I killed my true mother by coming to world. But I'll answer the questions you asked me. My name is Millennia Tsubasa, Albatou no Tsubasa. And I don't know why I was with him."
"Same name than me? Are you making fun of me? Tell me the true or your friend is going to suffer for you if you don't have fear of this for yourself." yelled Dilandau.
"No I don't! Every time that a battle is hurting me or people around me, I loose consciousness and when I regain my spirits, everything is burned and everyone is dead. I don't know what I was doing with Escaflowne, but I know I must have use magic because I have headache. I can't tell you more. I can't tell you what I don't know."
"You told me little thing my girl. I think I'll come back when I'll finish to torture your friend Van. You must find your memories back."
"He can't tell you about me, no one know me. Even me. You don't have to torture him."
"It's just for my pleasure little girl."
"You, damned…"
She jumped at him. But Dilandau closed the door and left here. He was laughing with a devil laugh. Millennia had fight with the door for a moment, and finally felt on her knees, wondering if she should cry like girls are suppose to do or try the spell of light she has just seen in the book before the attack. She said the magic words in a whisper. A soft light appeared on her forehead, and transformed into a beam of light. It went up to the sky, letting everyone know where the fortress was.
Allen's men worked to repair the wing of the Crusade which was damaged in the fighting. The guymelef from Zaïbach were fly over the river, looking for them, but they didn't find them. Merle was yelling at Allen who wasn't doing anything to rescue Van and Millennia.
"Merle, I'm worried too. But I can't go like this and find them with a finger clap. I'm not a magic!"
"But Millennia is! And she told me to follow the light."
"What are you talking about? No more magic exist, only the dragon knight still have such power and I only heard of a joke about it ten years ago!"
"So how do you explain what Millennia did?"
Allen stood shocked for a while. But quickly regained assurance.
"The dragon knight can't be Millennia. She is a girl Merle. And if so, I didn't see the dragon symbol on her."
"Do you know what it looks like?"
"Hum… No, but I didn't see any symbol on her."
"I know that she has magic power! She speaks to element! I saw her! I know that we must follow the light."
"Commander!! A beam of light is coming out the source of floating rocks."
"That's where they must be. Allen, we must go there!"
"Gaddeth!! Prepare the Crusade! We follow the light."
"What's happening commander?"
"We have a king and a magic to rescue."
Van was laying in a room in which only one light was burning. A man was whistling an old song of Fanelia. Van didn't recognize him, he could only see his back. He saw his sword and caught it. He couldn't escape so he decided to get hurt, in order to not serve them. But The men acted quickly than him and the sword escaped Van's hand.
"Don't do silly thing."
"Why do you know this song of Fanelia?"
"So you're finally awakened. I know this song because I'm a Fanelian, Ani-chan…"
"You can't be him! Don't lie to me. He died ten years ago."
The man with blue hair and soft reddish eyes let his clothes go and wing sprang of his back. Van stand a while without saying a word, only watching the white wings.
"Folken…" He finally could whisper.
Folken let his wings vanish and face his brother. Now, Van's eyes were lightning with anger.
"What has happened to you? What are you doing with those who destroyed Fanelia? I though you died, fighting the dragon. Hahaue died looking for you in the dragon's forest. But you just ran away. What have you done Folken?"
"It cost me more than you though to be here today Van. I truly died facing the dragon. I'm another Folken, I'll never be the old one."
Folken let his right arm. Van's eyes widened, seeing the metal arm.
"Van, come with me in Zaïbach. Achieve with me the dream of peace."
"Nani? You're the one who started the war! I don't want… I have the people of Fanelia to protect and the … We don't need war Folken… I don't want! You can't be my brother! You're…"
Folken grabbed him and whispered in his here.
"Little brother… You're so rash. But you'll join me, it's a promise, but it'll be your choice."
A needle from Folken's hand picked Van. He fainted in the arms his long lost brother.
Folken went out of the room. Dilandau was waiting for him.
"What do you want Dilandau?"
"I want the girl."
"Why?"
"For my pleasure."
"I didn't know you're that kind of man."
"I didn't mean for that, maybe later. I want to torture her."
"Did she resist to you Dilandau?" asked Folken with a smile.
"None of your business. I just learn her name. But I'm sure she know more than what she said. And I want to try the guymelef."
"You'll not be able to move it. Just wait Dornick's orders and don't kill the girl. We don't know if she's someone important or not for the emperor. Remember he told us the dragon's knight is reborn. We must find it as soon as possible and he said it could be a boy as well as a girl."
"I don't think she could be it. She's too weak for that."
Merle was too excited when the pendant began to glow. It pointed a direction and then a column of light suddenly ran trough the sky, linking the pendant to the place were Van and Millennia were. Allen recognize the direction: the great hole, half screened by floating rocks. The attack was immediately decided and they followed the light.
Millennia had no more concentration and the light vibrated before vanish. She just fell on her knee, trying to take her breathe back, her hands and forehead sweaty. She was just beginning to recover her balance as Dilandau entered the cell.
"Come with me girl."
"I have a name and…"
He violently grabbed her by the left arm. She couldn't stop her yell and he saw her wound half cicatrised.
"So I finally found something that give you reaction to me. Good. Now follow me or…"
She though it was not the proper moment to resist him. She has no more magic energy and she began to feel very dizzy. She saw his eyes, mauve eyes with the fire light of madness. How could she have imagine he could be his lost brother Dilan? She decided to cooperate and followed his orders. He took her to Escaflowne.
"How does it make fire?"
"Sorry?" he slapped her.
"Don't play that game with me little girl! I saw it. It attacked us with fire. How does it produce it?"
"I don't know." He slapped her again. A fine line of blood appeared in the corner of her lips. Somehow, she didn't really feel it. Her spirit was faraway from here, answering a silent call in her head.
Dilandau didn't notice the change in the girl's attitude. He didn't saw her icy blue eyes turning into mauve and the flame of provocation that was growing on them. She lightly smiled and with a distant voice said:
"Perhaps if you active the guymelef, you'll find what's the mechanism."
"Remember. Don't make fool of me girl. If you move or try to escape, I'll kill you" He slapped her again and she fell down. He touched the control jewel on Escaflowne's breast. It began to glow. Dilandau yelled of surprised and explosions began all over the flying fortress.
The crusade found the fortress. They threw out anchors and boarded the Zaïbach flying fort. Allen was very surprised because the attack met very little resistance. Smoke was all over the place. Everyone seemed to be panic and he could hear the explosion in the hall of machine. Allen took a prisoner and forced him to take him to Van or Millennia.
Van's free, headed to Escaflowne, hoping that Millennia was there because they didn't find her in the cells. Folken was waiting for him, standing higher up in the structure. He threw the sword of Fanelia and after giving Van a last look, he disappeared in the smoke. Folken… though Van. The wind began to whistle violently in the hall. Millennia is here!!
He ran to Escaflowne but was unsighted by the smoke. Dilandau was there too, looking for the girl and grumbling. Seeing Van's shadow he rushed in order to kill him.
"Van!" Yelled Millennia going out of the smoke. She caught Dilandau's arms letting time to Van to guard and strike back. Dilandau received a cut on the face. Chocked, he just touched it and stopped his attack, seeing his own blood. Van took Millennia's hand and escaped with Escaflowne.
In the crusade, Merle jumped into Van's arms. He lightly smiled to everyone and did thank them. Millennia didn't smiled back, her eyes still oscillating between their normal icy blue colour and the deadly mauve. She was lost in her thought, Allen approached her.
"Are you all right Millennia?"
"I don't know… I truly don't know… Demo, Arigato for rescuing us."
"It was very easy when you send the light to us."
"It has been working? Truly?"
"Yeah!" said Merle letting Van take his breathe back. "I give it back to you now."
"The pendant…" said Allen.
"where did you get that?" asked Van watching it in the sunlight.
"It was a present from my mother. It is very important to me because It is my only link with my origins."
"I think we should go to Palas, some of the intellectual may know this pendant and tell you about this." Said Allen.
"It's something you have here?" She asked surprised.
"I think you're going to learn a lot of thing about your past through your trip on Gaea. If it is what I think…" Answered Van.
"Why don't you tell me?"
"Because, we can't said much about it, it's just legends. You should hear it from people who really know about this."
"So… Here I come Palas!"